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"You two are coming with me to watch a cabaret."
Sherlock stared at Molly flatly. "Is that supposed to be an invitation?"
"Well," Molly said, "sort of? I already checked with John and he said you don't have anything planned on the day."
He then turned to look at the traitor who simply shrugged and handed Sherlock a fresh cup of tea.
"What if there are last minute cases?" he asked, although by this point he didn't care about the case, it was more the principle of it.
"You'll be fine for a night," Molly said. "But uh, there's something else."
"What do you mean?" Sherlock asked. "And why this one in particular?"
"It's the last performance of the main star of the cabaret," Molly said. "She's going to move into acting, I heard, so I want to watch it."
"Wouldn't it be hard to get a ticket, then?" John asked.
Molly cleared her throat, then looked pleadingly at Sherlock. "You can get us tickets, right? Please?"
"If that's all you need, why do we have to go with you?" Sherlock sulked.
"It'll be fun! I think you'll like the music, at least. And think about it as a date night and ignore me," Molly said. "It's focused more on the singing and the music, and the music is performed with traditional Chinese instruments."
"It's a Chinese cabaret?" John asked.
"Mm, well, it is called the Shanghai Cabaret," Molly said. "So maybe not what you expect, but should still be a good time."
John hummed. "I'll see what I can do."
"About the tickets?" Molly asked. "Or dragging Sherlock along?"
John grinned. "Both."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The day of the performance came and the three found themselves in front of the Shanghai Cabaret. There were a lot of people milling about nearby, waiting to go inside when the door opened.
"Do I want to know how you got the tickets?" Molly asked. "I mean, I'm happy that we got tickets, I'm just wondering how."
John shrugged. "Some scalpers were threatened and had to resell the tickets at a reasonable price."
“Oh good, I don’t have to feel bad then.”
They waited outside even after the door opened until most of the others had gone inside, then they went in and found their seats.
The performance turned out to be quite similar to a musical. There was a lot of singing and there were performers to the side of the stage for live music. The story was a love story from times of war, many years ago, although it ended quite happily for the couple.
After the performance, the leading star who was leaving held a short meet and greet session before retiring into her dressing room. The three hung around in the foyer, waiting for the crowd to leave before they left as well.
"You're not tired of me yet, right?" Molly beamed. "There's a famous noodle shop nearby that I want to try. Hopefully it won't be too crowded."
"Sure," John agreed before Sherlock could complain. "Might as well since we're already here."
"Ugh, save me from people persons," Sherlock groaned.
"Don't say that," Molly said. "John is good for you."
They were interrupted by a woman dressed in qipao. "You are Sherlock Holmes, aren't you?"
"Who's asking?"
"i'm known as Madam Phoenix here," the woman said. "I am the proprietress of this cabaret."
"Who died?"
"Sherlock!" Molly hissed.
Phoenix shook her head. "No, he's quite right," she said. "One of my girls... Lily was murdered in her dressing room, and I'm sure you are aware that I do not wish for this matter to be leaked to the media. I would appreciate your discretion during the investigation."
"Lily!?" Molly gasped. "But... oh my. But you have to involve the police, right?"
Phoenix nodded. "Only when we have the culprit," she said. "I'd like to keep this under wraps for now, and I saw your name in the guestbook. Forgive my forwardness."
"No, that's quite alright," Sherlock said. "Take us to the crime scene."
Phoenix led them backstage towards the dressing room and went to fetch some gloves from the cleaning supplies cabinet. Molly and John accepted the gloves and kneeled next to the body to examine it.
"Crime of passion?" Sherlock asked.
"Possibly," Molly said as she gently prodded around the back of the head. "No other outward signs of injury but there's a swelling just here. Cause of death is likely severe head injury but I will need to examine it properly to be sure."
"No signs of struggle," John said. "The culprit is definitely someone known to her and she was likely caught by surprise."
"From the position of the body..." Sherlock hummed as he walked closer. "Here. She was facing away from the culprit here. Perhaps it was an attempt to end a disagreement? Then the culprit pushed at her, causing her to stumble... right here."
He patted a low dresser next to him. "This has been very recently moved, but only on one side, as you can see from the imprints on the carpeted floor. She was pushed, she stumbled and tried to regain her balance by grabbing onto the corner here, hence the movement. She turned to face the culprit again but the culprit pushed her again and she hit her head at the corner of the shelf here, quite hard, and possibly hit her head again on the floor when she fell."
"There's not a lot of force required to push someone who wasn't expecting it," Sherlock said. "Give me a list of people she knew who were here."
Phoenix nodded. "I've asked them to stay backstage, so I'll take you to see them," she said, leading them to another room. "This is the VIP room. Black Dragon, Mister Wang, and Peony are here."
She opened the door for them and they could see three people sitting near the mahjong table at the centre of the room. There was Peony, another cabaret performer; and a man wearing glasses, who Sherlock assumed was Mister Wang because his appearance didn't quite fit 'Black Dragon' as much as the other man's did.
The other man was dressed sharply in a crisp white suit, black slacks, and a black coat. His hair was slicked back and when they entered the room, he was taking a drag from his cigar. His posture was relaxed, but at a glance, they could tell he was a powerful man.
"This is Black Dragon," Phoenix whispered to them. "He's... well, let's just say the cabaret is under the protection of his men."
Molly chose to wait outside of the VIP room, not wanting to be in the same room as the intimidating man, so Phoenix led Sherlock and John inside.
"Sir," she greeted.
Black Dragon looked up at her and tapped the cigar against the side of the ashtray.
"Have you already found a replacement? That was quick, even for you."
"No, sir," Phoenix shook her head. "This is Sherlock Holmes, a detective. I asked him to investigate Lily's murder."
Black Dragon hummed. "Yes, better not involve the police yet," he said. "So? What is he doing here?"
"He would like to ask you some questions."
He took another drag from his cigar as he studied the two closely. "Could I interest you in one?"
"No, thank you, I don't smoke," Sherlock said.
"Pity," Black Dragon said, resting the cigar on an ashtray. He glanced up at John, standing behind Sherlock, and hummed. "Call off your guard dog, Mister Holmes."
"No," Sherlock said. "He stays."
They both tried to stare each other down but none was backing down. Finally, Black Dragon looked down to pick up his cigar again for another drag.
"I was here playing mahjong with Mister Wang and Peony," Black Dragon said. "I'm sure they will vouch for me."
"And fear plays no hand in it, I presume?"
Black Dragon chuckled. "Of course not. Well, at least, not for Peony."
He stood up and walked over, taking slow, deliberate steps. He smirked when he saw Sherlock didn't back down, and only stopped when they were face to face.
"If there is only one thing you should know about me, Mister Holmes," Black Dragon said, trailing a finger down Sherlock's jaw. "It's that I do not make a habit of ruining beautiful things."
He rested his hand underneath Sherlock's chin, trying to tilt it up, but the other man resisted and stared back at him defiantly. He smirked, letting go of Sherlock's chin, and was about to grab his hair to pull his head back, but John's hand grabbed his wrist and stopped his hand in its tracks.
"Huh," he drawled in amusement. "He's not all bark, I see."
Black Dragon and John were then caught in a staring match, and finally Black Dragon let his hand drop and he walked away, settling back in his armchair.
"Only the best for the Holmeses, hm?" he mocked. "Even when it comes to guard dogs."
"Leave," he said, waving them off. "You are of no use to me."
The other two, Mister Wang and Peony, looked at each other, then at Sherlock and John who had turned their attention to them since Black Dragon was ignoring them.
"He's right," Mister Wang said finally. "We were here playing mahjong with Bryan."
"Bryan?" Sherlock asked.
"Bryan Blair, a poet and a frequent patron," Peony said. "He left before Lily finished with the fan meet, though. Madam Phoenix joined us for a while, then Sansan took her spot while waiting for Lily."
Sherlock raised a brow at her, so Peony continued.
"Sansan is Lily's understudy," Peony said. "She came here earlier to wait for Lily. Apparently Lily asked her to go buy some red bean dessert."
"Why wait here?"
"Lily was supposed to come here and say goodbye to us and hand the key to her dressing room," Peony said. "After all, tonight is her last night."
"So it is," Sherlock hummed. Although, it was not the 'last' it was supposed to be. "Where is this Sansan?"
"Is someone looking for me?"
A young girl walked in through the door and looked at them curiously. Her twin braids rested on her shoulders and they immediately noticed the burn scar near her temple.
"Are you Sansan?"
"I am," she said.
She confirmed Peony's earlier story that she went to the dessert shop around the corner to buy some red bean dessert that Lily liked because she asked, and she waited in the VIP room for Lily to come pick it up, but she never did.
"I see," Sherlock hummed. "Thank you for your cooperation, but please stay here a bit longer. We will need you again."
The two exited the VIP room and Madam Phoenix agreed to keep the suspects in the VIP room while they looked around the crime scene again.
"Phew, I can't believe you could stare down a mob boss like that," Molly said. "Do you think it's him?"
"No, it's not him," Sherlock said.
"You think he's telling the truth?" Molly asked.
"There's no reason for him to lie," Sherlock said. "And his attachment wasn't to Lily, but rather the top performer at the cabaret. I have no doubt that he would move on to whoever the next performer is. He appreciates beauty, but doesn't get attached."
"Well, okay, that's easy then," John said. "Who's next?"
"Isn't it a bit too convenient that all of the suspects have the same alibi?" Molly asked. "They were all in the VIP room playing mahjong."
"Not all of them," Sherlock said. "Madam Phoenix was only there between the time this Blair person left and before Sansan arrived. Sansan is my prime suspect because her alibi is really hard to confirm."
"Can't we ask the vendor if he remembers her?" Molly asked.
"Unlikely," Sherlock said. He picked up a brochure on a desk and waved it at them. "The shop is having a buy one get one free promotion. They would be expecting a lot of customers and there are likely multiple staff working. Even if we could somehow find out which staff served her, it's unlikely they would remember her. And if she's smart, she would have bought two anyway to make it seem like she just went."
"Huh? Why would this brochure be here?" Molly asked. "Seems like Lily really likes the dessert, huh?"
"Let's look around a bit more," Sherlock said. "See if you can find any personal items belonging to Lily, or anything that could hint at a murder motive."
They left Lily's dressing room and went to the bigger dressing room, which was shared by the other performers, to look for any clues.
"Lady P?" John chuckled when he saw a piece of paper with a poem written on it. It was romantic, although overly so, with flowery language. "I wonder which one it is, Peony or Madam Phoenix."
"Why can't it be both?" Sherlock asked, still looking through the drawers.
John looked at him curiously. "You mean..."
"You don't think this guy is serious about them, do you?" Sherlock scoffed. "Men and their honeyed words. It's how he swindles people."
John put the paper down and walked over towards Sherlock. "Did something happen?" he asked. "Is that why you don't like sweet talk?"
"This isn't about me."
"No," John agreed. "This whole thing isn't about you, but my question is."
Sherlock sighed. "You're not letting it go, are you?"
"No, I think not."
"It's not from personal experience," Sherlock said. "Just... observations."
"Mm, alright," John nodded. "Let's move on then."
"You two are already forgetting about me, haven't you?" Molly asked.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you the one who told us to?”
John laughed. "Of course not."
"Mm, yeah, right," she said, walking towards them. "Here, I found this. It was face down in the drawer, like someone was trying to hide it."
Sherlock took the framed picture from her.
"Isn't that Sansan?" John asked. "So Lily and her understudy knew each other from way back."
"Says here they were from the same orphanage," Molly said, tapping the back of the frame where the writing was. "So she followed Lily here?"
"Possible," Sherlock hummed, flipping the frame to read the back. "A fire? John, look it up."
John took the frame from Sherlock and took a picture of the orphanage in the background of the photo to see if he could reverse search it. Thankfully, the rather gothic-like structure of the roof was quite identifying and soon enough he found news of the fire that happened nearly ten years ago.
"I see," Sherlock said. "Keep that for now. I'll need to question Madam Phoenix about this later."
They went looking around the room again and John came across a book in a locked drawer (which he picked easily) that turned out to be the cabaret's ledger. Other than the bookkeeping, it also had a list of debts owed by the performers, although the numbers were crossed out and new numbers were written next to it.
"Hah, so it seems he is a swindler, after all," John said as he browsed through the ledger. "Although I wonder why they didn't contest it. Surely they would have kept their own tally of how much debt they owed. Three thousand to forty thousand is quite a jump."
"What is it?" Molly asked.
"See here," John said, showing the book to the other two. "Lily's debt jumped from three thousands to forty thousands with no explanation. Either this business is hemorrhaging money, or the money is actually a personal spending by Madam Phoenix."
"Ah," Molly said. "Spent on the man who kept romancing her."
"Mmhm," John hummed. "It's too bad that some people are blinded by love that they're willing to go into debt, and that people like Blair use it to their advantage."
"Well, not everyone can be lucky like Sherlock," Molly said. "I would prefer a John to a Bryan too."
John laughed. "Is this what people call objectification?" he joked.
Molly shrugged. "Anyway, I don't think Madam Phoenix is involved in the murder. It's not like she would gain anything from Lily's death."
Sherlock hummed. "I suppose we're done here," he said. "I need to ask Madam Phoenix some questions to confirm my theory about the motive."
"I'll go get her," John said.
He went to the VIP room to fetch Phoenix and then returned to the dressing room. Phoenix was shocked when she saw Sherlock flipping through the ledger.
"Where did you get that?" she asked in alarm.
"Hm? Oh, John picked the lock of your drawer. Don't worry, you didn't leave it out in the open."
Molly sighed. "Do you think that's the only thing she's worried about?"
"Oh," Sherlock blinked. "Right. Don't worry. We won't tell anyone about the debts."
Phoenix looked like she was debating between running away and strangling Sherlock, so in the interest of his continued employment, John decided to cut in before she made a decision.
"We'd like to ask you about Sansan."
Phoenix looked away from Sherlock and John tried his best to look reassuring, but she still remembered that he was the one who picked the lock so she shot him a glare too. "What about her?"
"We'd like to know the circumstances around their arrival," Sherlock said. "And I suppose, anything you can tell us about their relationship."
Phoenix frowned. "Are you suspecting Sansan?"
Sherlock didn't say anything and Phoenix sighed.
"They came in together as trainees, but Lily was quite talented in acting and she had a nice singing voice, so she quickly became the star of the show while Sansan didn't."
"But that's not what Sansan thinks, is it?"
Phoenix hesitated. "Perhaps," she said. "It's unfortunate that she believes her burn scars are the reason she can't become a star."
"Do you think she believes that she's better than Lily and that the scar is the only reason why she's not the star?"
"I don't know," Phoenix admitted. "It is possible."
"Has she ever performed on stage?" Molly asked. "I don't think I've seen her, although I haven't been here a lot."
"No," Phoenix said. "I didn't even want to keep her. Lily was insistent that we let her stay as her understudy. It didn't matter anyway because Lily always performed, but now that she left, I wonder if Sansan believed that Lily's role should go to her instead of Peony."
"You didn't want to keep her."
"No. Sansan... she's not born to be a performer. She tried hard, of course, but no matter what she couldn't get over her stage fright and she just doesn't have the charisma that my other girls have. I don't know if Lily insisted that she stayed because of a misguided attempt at repaying her debt."
"You're talking about the fire," Sherlock said. "Did Sansan save Lily from the fire?"
"Yes," Phoenix said. "I heard that was how she got her burn scars."
"Oh no," Molly said. "That's..."
"This is what, the second time we investigated a murder because of envy?" John hummed, thinking back to Richard. "No wonder it is one of the great sins."
"You think she killed Lily?" Phoenix asked again.
"I'm quite sure, but now we still have to disprove her alibi," Sherlock said.
There was a knock on the door and a man's voice called out, "Lily? Are you still in there? I've been waiting for you."
Sherlock perked up as he stood straight. "Ah, and now here comes the final piece of the puzzle."
He went to open the door and there was a tall, rather handsome man standing there. He looked around the room and took a step back.
"Sorry, I thought Lily was here," he said. "Do you know where she is? We were supposed to meet but she didn't show up and she's not responding to my calls or texts."
"Where were you supposed to meet?" Sherlock asked. "The dessert shop around the corner?"
"How do you know?" the man asked. "Did she tell you?"
"Is it?"
"Yeah... she likes the red bean dessert and there's a buy one get one free promotion today, so we were going to meet there."
"I see," Sherlock said. "Someone else break the news to him, please."
Phoenix sighed, burying her face in her hands, and Molly patted her shoulder in sympathy. It was an expected reaction from people who had yet to get used to dealing with Sherlock.
At least he was self-aware enough not to break the news himself.
"What news?" the man frowned. "What happened to Lily?"
Phoenix went with the man to break the news of Lily's death and told them she would return to go with them to confront Sansan who was still in the VIP room as directed.
"I wanted to ask for his autograph but I didn't want to seem so insensitive," Molly sighed as soon as the two were out of earshot.
"Who is he?"
"Of course you don't know," Molly said. "His name is Li Fei. He's an actor. Not quite famous yet, but he's building quite a fan base, especially among younger women. I didn't expect him to be dating someone, although I suppose he's been secretive about it. Look, here's a poster of his latest movie."
Molly showed her phone to them and they looked at the poster in question. In it, Li Fei was standing in front of a woman, caging her in against the wall.
"That's considered a heart-throbbing romantic move," Molly said. "Or so the fans said. I've seen it a lot in romance films."
"Being caged like that? Isn't it more threatening?"
"Tch, you have no romantic bone in your body," Molly said. "Try it, John. Maybe he'll change his mind."
"Is he even tall enough to--"
Sherlock found himself pushed against the wall, caged in by John’s arms.
“Do you like that, sweetheart?” John asked, cupping Sherlock’s jaw. “You like being dominated?”
Sherlock stared at him flatly, and John laughed, his expression softening into a soft smile as he traced Sherlock’s lower lip with his thumb.
“No? Will you allow me to keep guessing?”
“Who else…”
“Hm?”
“Who else am I supposed to allow it?”
John chuckled. “Who knows,” he said. “Someone who isn’t your guard dog?”
Sherlock looked at him and his lips twitched into a smirk.
“Well, luckily for you,” he drawled, resting a hand on John's shoulder, leaning closer so their lips almost touched, “I like dogs.”
There was a bright flash of light, followed by a muttered curse. They turned at the same time and saw Molly cursing while fiddling with her phone, then standing up straight and grinning sheepishly at them.
“Sorry, I forgot to turn off the flash,” she said, putting her phone back in her handbag. “Also, I said it as a joke. Stop actually ignoring me. Or in your case,” she pointed at Sherlock, "have some shame."
The three settled in and waited for Phoenix to return; Molly and Sherlock browsed through the costumes in the dressing room, commenting on the patterns on the qipaos, while John sat near the door and watched them.
Phoenix returned not long after, looking a little more stressed than before. "Sorry," she said. "He... didn't take the news well, which I suspected he wouldn't."
"Hmm..."
Phoenix sighed. "I wonder if this wouldn't happen if Lily hadn't insisted that Sansan stayed," she mused. "Or if it would only have gotten her killed sooner."
They went to the VIP room to confront Sansan who denied it, until Li Fei came and said Lily had already made plans to meet him at the dessert shop so she wouldn't have asked her to buy it. It was likely she already bought the dessert the day before to use as her alibi, and when they checked the bag she brought, there was only one portion because she didn't know about the promotion.
She finally admitted that she had resented Lily ever since she rose in popularity while Sansan remained in her shadows. She told them that the burn scars she got from saving Lily had made her self-conscious and believe herself to be ugly, so she resented the fact that Lily became successful for her beauty, which she wouldn't have if Sansan hadn't saved her.
"That's not true," Phoenix said as she frowned. "Lily was a natural born performer. She had charm and charisma, something that you are lacking. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have kept you since a long time ago. You are still here only because Lily fought for you."
"No," Sansan said disbelievingly. "You're lying. I don't believe it."
Phoenix shook her head. "Believe what you want," she said. "The police will be here shortly. I advise that you go with them peacefully."
"Of course she will," Black Dragon said, looking at her sharply. "Won't you?"
Sansan flinched, then nodded. She sat back down on the chair near the corner and stayed quiet.
"Well, I guess our job here is done," Sherlock said. "Since I'm feeling nice, I won't charge you a consulting fee for this. I will tell you, though, that you both can do better than that corny poet."
"What?" Peony and Phoenix asked at the same time.
They looked at each other, then back towards Sherlock, but by that time, Sherlock had already left, closely followed by John, and Molly hurried after them because she didn't really want to be there to watch the meltdown that might happen.
Although, if Bryan was there and the two would team up to beat him up, she might offer her help.
"You're enjoying that way too much," Molly grumbled as she caught up with them.
Sherlock laughed. "You're right," he said. "The night turned out to be quite fun, after all."
"Ugh... I really can't take you anywhere."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
“John.”
John slowly blinked his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the darkness, then he glanced over at the digital clock to check the time, and groaned.
“It’s three in the morning, Sherlock,” he murmured. “What are you doing up this early?”
“I’m not.”
“Hm?”
“I haven’t slept.”
“Oh,” John blinked. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Hm.”
“Why not wake me up earlier?”
“... didn’t want to bother you.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” John sighed, reaching up a hand to gently stroke Sherlock’s hair and lightly scratch his scalp. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but did you really have to choose now to start being considerate?”
“Hmph.”
John chuckled. “You know I’m here for you, right?” he asked. “Anything you need, just ask. If you can’t sleep again, just wake me up.”
“Alright.”
“Good. Go to sleep now.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The next morning, there was a knock on the door just after they finished breakfast. John went to open the door and lifted a brow when he saw a tall man dressed in a black suit wearing a pair of sunglasses.
"Is this where Sherlock Holmes lives?" he asked.
"Depends on who's asking," John said, standing straighter up.
"Out of the way."
The man in sunglasses stepped aside and John saw Black Dragon walking up the stairs, followed by another man in suit who was carrying a garment bag.
"No need to bark," Black Dragon said with a smirk. "It is... a social visit."
"Right," John said, his eyes narrowed. He glanced back at Sherlock who was sitting on the sofa, and only stepped aside to let Black Dragon in when Sherlock nodded.
Black Dragon settled down in the armchair without prompting and the two men stood behind him on each side. He took out a pack of cigars and lit one up, taking a long drag from it.
"Such a loyal dog you've got there."
Sherlock stared at him. "What do you want?"
Black Dragon took another drag from his cigar before he waved his hand. The man standing behind him unzipped the garment bag and gently took out a dark green qipao with floral patterns, lying it out on the coffee table.
“A gift,” Black Dragon smirked. “Phoenix told me you were eyeing it yesterday.”
“It is beautiful,” Sherlock said, reaching out a hand to slowly run it down the silk qipao. It might have been given because he didn't ask for a consulting fee, although he wondered if it had been Phoenix's idea or Black Dragon's. The madam didn't seem to be too fond of him by the end of the night.
“Beauty deserves beauty,” Black Dragon said. “You are welcome at the cabaret anytime.”
“As a guest?”
Black Dragon smirked but didn’t say anything.
“Please pass on my thanks to Madam Phoenix,” Sherlock said. “Although I didn’t expect you would be willing to run her errands.”
“Hm,” Black Dragon hummed. “Perhaps there is a selfish reason.”
"No," Sherlock said. "I'm not interested."
"I haven't even said anything." Black Dragon smirked.
"You don't have to," Sherlock said. "I only do what I want."
Sherlock picked up the qipao and went off to his room to store it, effectively ending the discussion.
“Let me show you out,” John said.
Black Dragon put out his cigar and stood. “You don’t agree?” he asked. “He could quickly become a top performer and earn a lot more than what he does. Running around after danger like this… surely it’s a waste.”
“No,” John said as he glared at him. “Nothing is wasted when he does what he chooses to do.”
Black Dragon scoffed. “Ever the loyal dog,” he mocked. “And how long will you be able to stay by his side?”
“As long as he will let me,” John said. “Good day to you.”
He pretty much slammed the door in Black Dragon’s face, then sighed. It probably wasn’t a good idea to make an enemy of a mafia boss, but he also believed that Black Dragon wasn’t stupid enough to do anything reckless.
He turned and walked towards Sherlock’s room to check on him. When he opened the door, he saw Sherlock standing in front of the mirror, half-dressed in the qipao.
“Oh, you’re here,” he said. “Come do the zipper for me.”
John nodded and walked over. He pulled the zipper up and then stared at the reflection in the mirror.
“Do they know your size or is that coincidence?”
“No,” Sherlock said. “I know my own size. This was one of the ones in my size. Maybe she heard more of my discussion with Molly about them yesterday.”
“I see. It looks nice on you.”
John chuckled as the cat nearly purred in satisfaction.
“Do you want to head out? There’s a nice teahouse I heard of. Since you’ve gone through the trouble of putting it on and all.”
"Sure."
John brushed Sherlock's hair to try and tame it a bit while Sherlock put on some light makeup, and soon enough they were out of the flat and walking down the street towards the teahouse.
The staff greeted them and led them to a table, bringing them a tray of tea leaves samples so they could smell them and decide which one they wanted. Then she returned with the leaves they chose as well as some tea snacks.
She also briefly told them the methods of gongfu cha and explained the different tools on the tea tray, but then she left them alone and said it was fine if they made mistakes as it wasn't a tea ceremony.
John picked up the pot of hot water and slowly poured it into the gaiwan and turned the small hourglass that was given to them for timer.
“I will let you stay as long as you want to.”
"You heard that, huh?"
"You two weren't being quiet."
"I suppose we weren't."
"But," Sherlock said, "how long would you want to stay?"
"As long as you let me."
"That's a circular argument."
"It's not," John said. "As long as you want me here, I'll be here."
"Hm," Sherlock hummed as he watched John pour the tea from the gaiwan to the tasting cups, then picked one of the cups up. "You'll be around for a long time then."
John smiled. "As you wish."